Guarding Against Discouragement
Nehemiah 4:10-23
February 13, 2022
When the Jews were rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem, they faced significant
discouragement. The problem with discouragement is that it zaps your spirit.
Discouragement is like a huge vacuum cleaner that just sucks the hope right out of
your heart. It is like this – you get beat down, frightened, demoralized, depressed, or
intimidated by someone is trying to hurt you. This has always been the plan and the
playbook of the real source behind our discouragement, Satan himself. He uses fear,
self-pity, self-condemnation, and unbelief to bring discouragement into our lives.
Discouragement can be mild, fairly strong, or even to the point of being disabling.
In this life, we will face discouragement, but the biggest part to our story of
discouragement is how we respond. Will we let it stop us? Or, will we let God deliver
us in those trying times? When we are facing discouragement, remember God’s words
in Isa 41:10 ¶ Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am
your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my
victorious right hand.
In the story of Nehemiah and the people of Judah rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem,
their enemies opposed them. Discouragement is most effective when we are going
through difficult times. In Jerusalem, the people were tired, and the work was
overwhelming.
In our Bible reading, notice how Nehemiah dealt with the discouragement his team was
facing.
Notice what he didn’t do. He did not minimize their feelings or tell them they had it
all wrong.
Nehemiah gave them a reason to be encouraged. He understood that progress
encourages people, so he planned for progress, even if it was slow.
He explained the value of the work they were doing. They were working for the Lord.
They were guarding their families and their homes. Nehemiah gave the people
meaningful work to do. Their work mattered, and Nehemiah made sure they knew it.
He led by example.
He communicated his directions clearly.
He put a system in place to sound an alarm if the enemy attacked.
For the people of Jerusalem, discouragement became a very real struggle, but they
didn’t quit! They stayed the course, and God accomplished a great work through these
dedicated people. Let’s read their story and find courage for our own journey.
10 Then the people of Judah began to complain, “The workers are getting
tired, and there is so much rubble to be moved. We will never be able to build
the wall by ourselves.” 11 Meanwhile, our enemies were saying, “Before they
know what’s happening, we will swoop down on them and kill them and end
their work.”
12 The Jews who lived near the enemy came and told us again and again,
“They will come from all directions and attack us!”
13 So I placed armed guards behind the lowest parts of the wall in the
exposed areas. I stationed the people to stand guard by families, armed with
swords, spears, and bows. 14 Then as I looked over the situation, I called
together the nobles and the rest of the people and said to them, “Don’t be
afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight
for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes!”
15 When our enemies heard that we knew of their plans and that God had
frustrated them, we all returned to our work on the wall. 16 ¶ But from then
on, only half my men worked while the other half stood guard with spears,
shields, bows, and coats of mail. The leaders stationed themselves behind the
people of Judah 17 who were building the wall. The laborers carried on their
work with one hand supporting their load and one hand holding a weapon.
18 All the builders had a sword belted to their side. The trumpeter stayed with
me to sound the alarm. 19 Then I explained to the nobles and officials and all
the people, “The work is very spread out, and we are widely separated from
each other along the wall. 20 When you hear the blast of the trumpet, rush to
wherever it is sounding. Then our God will fight for us!” 21 We worked early
and late, from sunrise to sunset. And half the men were always on guard. 22 I
also told everyone living outside the walls to stay in Jerusalem. That way they
and their servants could help with guard duty at night and work during the day.
23 During this time, none of us — not I, nor my relatives, nor my servants, nor
the guards who were with me — ever took off our clothes. We carried our
weapons with us at all times, even when we went for water.
- What was discouraging the Jews? (4:10-11)
10 Then the people of Judah began to complain, “The workers are getting
tired, and there is so much rubble to be moved. We will never be able to build
the wall by ourselves.”
11 Meanwhile, our enemies were saying, “Before they know what’s happening,
we will swoop down on them and kill them and end their work.”
They were complaining because they were tired, the work was overwhelming, and they
were fearful of an enemy attack. The enemies must have known they were dealing with
some tired and worn out workers. They sent a strong message designed to cause yet
further unrest among the Judean workers. The attack will be sudden and fatal. We will
be upon you before you know it, and there is nothing you can do to stop us.
The Jews certainly must have felt like there were too few workers for the job. These
issues are commonplace. We get tired, and we get overwhelmed. It is during those
times that we need to be encouraged, not discouraged. In 1Sa 30:6 David was greatly
distressed. The people were talking about stoning him. But his response was
monumental. The Bible says “…but David encouraged himself in the LORD his
God.” (KJV) When we discouraged, it is time to remember what the Lord has done. It
is time to trust Him to bring us through these troubled times and deliver us from the evil
that surrounds us.
Are you going through difficult times in which you need encouragement?
- How were their fellow Jews, who lived near the enemy, contributing to the situation?
What was the enemy’s message designed to produce? (4:12)
12 The Jews who lived near the enemy came and told us again and again,
“They will come from all directions and attack us!”
They were sharing what they had no doubt heard in their neighborhoods, that the
enemy would come from all directions to attack them. They repeated this warning over
and over in order to instill fear into the hearts of the Jews. How could these Jews
have avoid adding to the discouragement Jerusalem was experiencing? - What did Nehemiah do to encourage the Israelites and protect them from their
enemies? (4:13-14)
13 So I placed armed guards behind the lowest parts of the wall in the
exposed areas. I stationed the people to stand guard by families, armed with
swords, spears, and bows. 14 Then as I looked over the situation, I called
together the nobles and the rest of the people and said to them, “Don’t be
afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight
for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes!”
He gave them meaningful work to do. Nehemiah broke the challenges they were facing
down into small manageable pieces. He put armed guards behind the lowest portions of
the wall. He stationed people to stand guard by families. - How were the Jews able to return to their work of rebuilding the city walls? (4:15)
15 When our enemies heard that we knew of their plans and that God had
frustrated them, we all returned to our work on the wall.
When the word came to the Jews that God had frustrated the plans of their enemies,
they all went back to work on the wall. The enemies heard that the Jews had a plan and
that the Jews were working that plan. That news frustrated the enemies of the Jews.
The Jews realized God was working for them. Little builds courage like victory.
“Nothing tests our trust like fear. But fear fades when we trust the strength and
sovereignty of our God.” – Lysa Terkeurst, Trustworthy - How did the workers adjust because of the threats of their enemies? (4:16-18)
16 ¶ But from then on, only half my men worked while the other half stood
guard with spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. The leaders stationed
themselves behind the people of Judah
17 who were building the wall. The laborers carried on their work with one
hand supporting their load and one hand holding a weapon.
18 All the builders had a sword belted to their side. The trumpeter stayed with
me to sound the alarm
At this point, the decision was made that half would work while the other half would
stand guard. The leaders would take their positions behind the workers and keep their
eyes on the situation. They were on guard against any surprise attacks. They were
ready to fight at a moment’s notice. The workers were working with one hand and had
their other hand on their weapon.
- What plan did Nehemiah make to keep the people safe if attacked? (4:19-22)
19 Then I explained to the nobles and officials and all the people, “The work is
very spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall.
20 When you hear the blast of the trumpet, rush to wherever it is sounding.
Then our God will fight for us!” 21 We worked early and late, from sunrise to
sunset. And half the men were always on guard. 22 I also told everyone living
outside the walls to stay in Jerusalem. That way they and their servants could
help with guard duty at night and work during the day.
Nehemiah realized that the work and the workers were spread out – widely separated
from each other. He set a system in place to alarm the people if the enemy approached.
When the trumpet sounded, they were to rush to the place where it sounded.
How do you think having a system to alarm the workers of an attack impacted
the workers? We, too, are widely separated from one another most of the week. - What does the self-imposed working conditions tell us about the Jews’ level of
commitment to this task? What can we learn from them? (4:21-23) 21 We worked
early and late, from sunrise to sunset. And half the men were always on guard.
22 I also told everyone living outside the walls to stay in Jerusalem. That way
they and their servants could help with guard duty at night and work during
the day. 23 During this time, none of us — not I, nor my relatives, nor my
servants, nor the guards who were with me — ever took off our clothes. We
carried our weapons with us at all times, even when we went for water.
They didn’t stop. They adjusted and kept moving forward. In our battles against Satan,
we are never off duty. Can you imagine taking a week off from recovery? - What steps could you take the next time you feel opposition from others for doing
what is right?
When you hear the alarm that discouragement is raising its ugly head, don’t stay out
there by yourself. Run to the gathering of God’s people where victory can be won.
Acknowledge your discouragement and understand how common discouragement is to
us all. Talk about discouragement with someone you respect. (Don’t run to people
whose lives are a big mess.) Be aware of your own anger in the situation and then learn
to let go of your anger. Pray. Encourage someone else. Get some exercise. Journal
your thoughts and experiences as if you are talking to God. Spend time revisiting what
God has done for you.